UK house prices fall 1.8% in 2023, as FTSE 100 ends year up 3.8% – as it happened

An estate agent in Wimbledon, south west London, this month. Photograph: Amer Ghazzal/Shutterstock

3.35pm GMT

Closing summary

With the London stock market closed for the year, City traders can head off to enjoy the build up to the New Year.

And so shall I!

Hope you have a lovely new year. Very best wishes for 2024 from us all here.

Here are today’s main stories:

3.30pm GMT

The latest economic data from the US has slightly dampened the mood

A barameter of business activity in the Chicago region has fallen this month, and come in lower than expected.

Purchasing managers in the Midwest reported that the Chicago PMI (conducted by the ISM-Chicago and actually named the Chicago Business Barometer™) fell more than expected in December, falling 8.9 points from 55.8 in November to 46.9 in December, a return to contraction. pic.twitter.com/Tz4ulgs2zW

— Dr Thomas Kevin Swift (@DrTKSwift) December 29, 2023

The Chicago PMI, fell 8.9 index points to 46.9 in December, weaker than the 50-point reading expected by economists, and back into contraction territory (below 50).

The index had jumped to 55.8 in November, the highest level in 17 months, after the end of the United Auto Workers strike.